Pardo was considered the "voice" of Saturday Night Live, serving as the announcer for all but one season (1981-82) of the late-night sketch comedy since its inception in 1975. Following his retirement in 2009, Pardo still provided the introductions by pre-recording his part from his Arizona home.

Pardo also worked as the announcer for early incarnations of such notable shows as The Price Is Right, Jackpot, Jeopardy!, Three on a Match, Winning Streak and NBC Nightly News. He began his career in radio with NBC back in 1940.